n 1  cap  :  a genus of chiefly fall-blooming Old World corm-producing herbs (family Liliaceae) that produce flowers resembling crocuses  2  :  a bulb, flower, or plant (as the autumn crocus) of the genus Colchicum  3  :  the dried corm or dried ripe seeds of the autumn crocus containing the alkaloid colchicine, possessing an emetic, diuretic, and cathartic action, and used to treat gout - called also colchicum root  .
 
 
 
Published under license with Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.  © 1997-2004.